


I Just Want a Normal Birthday

by zhongwritings



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chenle's Birthday Fic, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idols, Kissing, M/M, cororong plays a part in this story, happy birthday to my precious ult zhong chenle i love you so much, they kiss and its cute hehe please read it i know its short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhongwritings/pseuds/zhongwritings
Summary: It's Chenle's birthday, and despite his best friends being there to celebrate with him, he has never felt more alone. His family can't come back to Korea because of the unfortunate state of the world, so his nineteenth birthday has been ruined almost completely. Jisung has made it his mission to change that.
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 6
Kudos: 107





	I Just Want a Normal Birthday

It was the day before Chenle’s nineteenth birthday, and he was sitting on the floor of the practice room waiting for his teammates to arrive.

He ran a hand through his hair as he examined his reflection in the mirror.

He looked… young? 

“Why do I look like that?” Chenle asked himself as he brushed his fingers against the front of his bangs, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to adjust his appearance. 

“Look like what?” A voice came from the doorway. “A cutie?”

Chenle looked up, locking eyes with Jaemin. “Hey,” he greeted, pushing his hair back and putting a baseball hat over his head. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Jaemin said, sighing. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”

Chenle looked around the room for a moment, before turning to where Jaemin was now sitting beside him. “Can I be honest?”

“Of course,” Jaemin replied, laughing lightly. “What’s up?”

“I’m not… I’m not really looking forward to tomorrow at all,” Chenle confessed. He rested his cheek against his knee, looking up at Jaemin through his black bangs.

“Why not?” Jaemin asked, mirroring the dejected expression on Chenle’s face. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m just,” Chenle started, a heavy sighing falling from his lips. “It’s my first birthday without my family. Normally, they would fly out or my mom would be in town, but with this whole… situation… they can’t be here. I’m really upset about it, actually. And on top of that, we have an entire day of schedules tomorrow, too… I’m sad. I just want a normal birthday.”

“Aw, Chenle,” Jaemin cooed, pouting as he brought Chenle into his arms. “It’s okay, alright? You have all of us! And we’re going to have the best birthday-eve celebration ever! I know it isn’t the same, but once all of this stuff gets cleared up you can have a big celebration with your whole family, okay?”

Chenle nodded as he sighed once more, trying to fight the tears that were at the edge of his eyes. “I’m sorry,” He whispered into Jaemin’s neck.

“It’s okay,” Jaemin said, pulling back and giggling as he wiped Chenle’s tears. “I should be the one who’s sorry…”

“Why?” Chenle asked, confused. “Why would you be sorry?”

“Because you have to spend your precious birthday with a bunch of idiots,” Jaemin said, exhaling dramatically.

Chenle laughed loudly at that, and smiled as said idiots all stepped into the practice room, unloading their bags onto the floor and complaining immediately.

Chenle knew it would be a great birthday.

He wasn’t worried about whether or not he would have fun- he was more worried about how strange it felt to walk into an empty house every day, and how uncomfortable it was going to be to wake up on his nineteenth birthday and be alone.

~

After practice Chenle went home to get dressed and get ready for the night.

He and the rest of the dreamies had plans to go out for a pre-birthday celebration for Chenle because they had an entire day of schedules to complete the following day- his actual birthday.

Jaemin was standing in the living room of the dreamies’ dorm, dressed to the nines in a formal suit. He brushed his fingers through his hair as he waited for everyone else to finish getting ready.

“Hey,” Jisung greeted, stepping out of his room. He had on dress pants and dress shoes with an oversized sweater over a collared shirt. Jaemin nodded in approval at his outfit.

“You look nice,” Jaemin cooed. “Must wanna get all cute for Chenle’s birthday, huh?”

“Oh shut up,” Jisung said, slapping Jaemin’s arm with his hand. “Is it so bad to want to impress him?”

“Of course it’s not bad,” Jaemin replied. “He is your crush after all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jisung said, sighing. “Not like that would ever happen.”

“Why not?” Jaemin asked.

“Because he would never date me?” Jisung asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Hello?”

“And why not?” Jaemin asked, dumbfounded. “He’s your best friend… why can’t you guys date? I mean really, I see the way he looks at you, Jisung. He loves you anyway, why don’t you make a move?”

“I’ll think about it,” Jisung said, rolling his eyes. “Oh uhm… actually… can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Jaemin said, turning fully to face Jisung. “What’s up?”

“Is… Chenle okay?” Jisung asked slowly, unsure. “I uhm… I noticed he was crying earlier before practice… so… yeah. Is he okay?”

“You’re so cute, Jisungie,” Jaemin said, ruffling Jisung’s hair messily. “Yes, Chenle is okay. He’s just a little sad he can’t have a normal birthday with his family and everything. You know how he is, he’d much rather spend the day inside playing a video game than out and about doing schedules and all that. You know how it goes.”

Jisung nodded, fixing his hair quietly. “Alright… I just wanted to make sure he was okay. Thanks, Jaem. I’ll go down and wait in the car.”

Jaemin nodded as Jisung disappeared out the front door.

~

After picking Chenle up from his house, the dreamies headed out to Chenle’s favorite hot pot restaurant and held a small celebration.

It was quaint and sweet, despite the circumstances.

Jisung could tell Chenle was out of it, as he floated from person to person, trying to smile for selfies and put on a good face for his manager.

Jisung wanted nothing more than to go over to Chenle and give him a hug, to comfort him as much as possible, as his best friend.

Jaemin’s words echoed in his head over and over.

_He’s just a little sad he can’t have a normal birthday with his family._

Jisung knew better than anyone how much Chenle adored his family, and how strange it must be for Chenle to have to be alone so much, especially on his birthday.

He had wanted to say something to Chenle the entire night, but it seemed as though Chenle was out of his reach.

Every time Jisung had approached the older boy to speak with him, Chenle had been swept away by someone else. Out of pure frustration, Jisung made a decision on his own.

He was going to do everything in his power to make sure Chenle had the best possible birthday, no matter what it took.

Jisung’s goal was to help Chenle forget that he was alone, because, in reality, he wasn’t.

He had all of his friends, and Jisung, especially.

After taking some time to curate a plan, Jisung had found that it was time to leave the restaurant.

Finally, Chenle’s birthday dinner was over.

They all piled into their manager’s van, and started driving to Chenle’s house to have cake and to wish him an official happy birthday, before they would all head home for the night.

Except for Jisung, if his plan went according to what he had conjured up in his head.

~ 

After playing some video games and hanging out for a little while, it was time to eat cake and then go home.

“We got you a chocolate cake because we know it’s your favorite,” Jaemin announced from where he was standing in the kitchen, lighting the candles on the cake. 

“Yay!” Chenle cheered. He was sitting at the dining room table, nearly wiggling in his seat with excitement.

Jisung watched as Jaemin and Jeno marched into the dining room with the cake, and everyone began singing happy birthday to Chenle.

He didn’t miss the forlorn expression on Chenle’s face once the lights switched back on, though.

After everyone was done with their cake, Jaemin sighed and announced that it was time for them to leave.

They were all standing in the foyer putting their shoes on, when Jisung finally spoke up.

“Can I spend the night?” He asked, completely cautious.

Chenle turned to him slowly, his eyebrows furrowed.

“You want to spend the night… _here_?” Chenle asked.

Jisung nodded, a small smile on his face. 

“Is that okay? I just don’t feel like going home.”

Chenle looked over to Jaemin, who smiled and shrugged his shoulders. 

“Why not?” Jaemin asked. “You have clothes here, right?”

“Yup,” Jisung answered. “I’m good for staying the night! I have everything I need, so as long as it’s okay with Chenle…”

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine,” Chenle said quickly. “You can stay.”

It wasn’t long before Chenle and Jisung were in their pajamas, laying on the floor in Chenle’s bedroom.

It was half past eleven, and Jisung could see Chenle’s eyes as they focused on the clock on his bedside table, watching the minutes tick by.

“Are you excited for tomorrow?” Jisung asked suddenly. “It _is_ your birthday… You’ll be of age in Korea now, so…”

“Does that mean anything special?” Chenle said, a small laugh coming from his throat. “Nothing is going to change. We have to work tomorrow, too.”

“It should be special,” Jisung protested. “It’s your _nineteenth_ birthday, Chenle! You’ll be spending it with us, anyway. We’ll make it special. You know that.”

“I guess,” Chenle said, turning on his side and facing Jisung. He opened his mouth, thinking for a second. Jisung anticipated his words, unsure of what he was going to say. Chenle’s eyes wavered for a moment, before he finally spoke. “We should sleep now.”

“Now?” Jisung asked, looking at the clock. “It’s only 11:38. We should at least wait until midnight so I can wish you a real happy birthday.”

“You can just say it tomorrow,” Chenle muttered, standing from where he was on the floor. He marched over to his bed and climbed in, turning the light off on his way. “Goodnight Jisung.”

Jisung didn’t speak, he just watched as the room went dark, the radiance of Chenle’s alarm clock being the only source of light in the room.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Jisung asked himself. _He’s being so… quaint. I know he’s upset with everything with his family, but even so. Am I not being a good enough friend to make him comfortable here? Does he want to go home? I know he can’t right now but I’ll be so scared if he just runs away when the world goes back to normal..._

A few minutes went by in silence, unsure of what to do, Jisung cuddled into a blanket and pillow Chenle had given him to sleep with.

All was quiet until Jisung heard a sound come from Chenle’s side of the room.

_Sniffle._

Jisung blinked slowly, looking up at the clock. 

_11:58_

_Is he…_

_Sniffle._

_He’s… crying right now? Is he… is he really crying right now?_ Jisung thought. _I have to do something._

_Sniffle._

_Now._

Without another thought, Jisung rose from the floor and walked over to Chenle’s bed. Chenle was buried under the covers, his face completely hidden. Jisung kneeled onto the bed, throwing one leg over Chenle’s waist and sinking his face into the blanket over Chenle’s chest.

“Why are you crying?” Jisung muttered into the blankets. He could feel Chenle heave slowly underneath him, his breath shaking his sternum. 

“I’m not crying,” Chenle answered, his voice muffled. 

Jisung sighed, reaching up and tugging the blanket off of Chenle’s head. 

Under the covers was Chenle, with his bright red puffy eyes, tears falling down into his hair, lip quivering harshly.

“Talk to me,” Jisung said slowly, bringing his hand up to Chenle’s face and wiping his tears away. “Why are you crying?”

Chenle looked up at Jisung, all doe-eyed and teary.

A part of Jisung couldn’t help but think about how pretty he looked, despite the circumstances.

“I’m not crying,” Chenle repeated. He sniffled once more, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared up at Jisung. “Why are you sitting on me?”

Jisung’s cheeks went red as he matched Chenle’s gaze. 

“I’m… I’m not sitting on you,” He mocked, rolling his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. “Tell me why you’re crying and I’ll get off of you.”

“Look I- I’m upset because I’m not with my family,” Chenle confessed. “This is the worst birthday ever… not because I’m with you guys, or because of work or whatever… It’s just different and I hate it.”

“I understand,” Jisung replied, nodding slowly. “I know it's hard to be out here all alone… But you have to understand the circumstances of what we’re dealing with right now. I mean, it’s not even us, it’s the entire world.”

“I know, I know,” Chenle sighed. “I just… I miss my mom.”

“Chenle,” Jisung said, his eyebrows furrowing. “Well… I can’t be your mom, but I can be your best friend. And I can be here to comfort you and help you if you need it.”

“Jisung…” Chenle started, a smile spreading across his face. “I’m sorry I started crying.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Jisung replied. “I promise you’ll see your family soon enough, but until then you’re gonna have to lean on me, if that's alright.”

“Thank you,” Chenle said, looking into Jisung’s eyes and smiling. 

It was silent for a moment, before Jisung moved to get off of Chenle, but Chenle placed a hand on his hip, stopping him. Jisung blinked down at him, completely confused.

“Hm?” Jisung said, a disgruntled low sound emitting from the back of his throat.

“You can stay sitting here,” Chenle said quietly, his cheeks red under Jisung’s gaze. “I don’t mind…”

“Really?” Jisung asked slowly.

“Yeah,” Chenle replied. “It’s… comfortable.”

“Then.... would you think something else is comfortable?” Jisung suggested, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“What do you mean?” Chenle asked.

“I mean, I kind of have a gift for you, so...”

“Sure,” Chenle said. “You can do whatever.”

“Okay, well, you have to close your eyes.” Jisung muttered. “It’s a surprise.”

“Alright, alright,” Chenle said, laughing lightly as he closed his eyes.

Jisung looked down at Chenle, with his face flushed, eyelashes still wet with tears.

 _He’s so pretty…_ Jisung thought. _I hope… I hope he doesn’t hate me after this..._

Jisung took a deep breath, grounding himself before placing his hands on Chenle’s shoulders, gentle with every touch.

He leaned down, brushing his hair against Chenle’s forehead and watching as his eyes crinkled, whiskers forming on the top of his cheeks.

“Happy birthday.”

Jisung pressed his lips against Chenle’s, soft and sweet.

He held still for a moment, but when he felt Chenle move against him, Jisung smiled and pushed further.

Chenle reached up and grabbed Jisung’s shirt with one fist, threading his other hand’s fingers into his hair and opening his mouth so they could kiss deeper.

Jisung slid both of his arms on either side of Chenle’s head, trapping him in.

“Jisung,” Chenle mumbled against Jisung’s lips. He took a short breath as he disconnected his lips from Jisung’s.

“Are you okay?” Jisung asked, pulling away and pressing his forehead against Chenle’s. “Was that alright?”

“That… that was my gift?”

“Yes,” Jisung replied, laughing lightly. “Did you like it?”

“I loved it.”

**Author's Note:**

> hi hi i'm back with another teenie tiny baby fic hehehe
> 
> i hope you liked this one !! i've kind of been going through it recently so i'm sorry if this isn't the best, but i wanted to get something out there for chenle's special day! 
> 
> as always, thank you for reading! please follow me on twitter @zhongwritings or send me messages on curiouscat @zhongwritings if you have any questions or comments!
> 
> all comments and kudos are much appreciated <333


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